3 Strategies to find your home and not go homeless

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“But if I sell my home now I will be homeless!”

I’m hearing this sentiment a lot these days. Everyone knows the market is bananas and many sellers are putting off selling because they worry about finding a replacement property.

But what if I told you I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve to ease the transition and stress involved with selling and buying in this HOT market?

  1. Seller Contingency - Once your home goes under contract you have a specific time period to find another home. If you can’t find another house to buy you can get out of your contract.

  2. Rent Back - After closing you can rent the home back from the buyers. This is typically calculated to cover their new monthly mortgage payment and can last up to 60 days.

  3. Extra Long Closing - Contracts are taking longer than normal anyway because we are experiencing an appraisal backlog but it’s not uncommon for parties to agree to a 90 day extended closing.

All three of these strategies give some much need and valuable time to find your next home so you don’t end up homeless.

Have questions Leave them in the comments.

Don't Fix Them

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“When someone is broken, don’t try and fix them. (You can’t.)

When someone is hurting, don’t attempt to take away their pain. (You can’t.)

Instead, love them by walking beside them in the hurt. (You can.)

Because sometimes what people need is simply to know they aren’t alone” by Jenny Albers.

This is such a good reminder but sometimes feels hard to implement. It’s so natural for us to want to “fix” things or say the right words.

There are no right words. And while it can feel counterproductive and maybe trivial, sometimes the best thing to do is just sit with someone in their grief and be that shoulder to lean into.

With gratitude.

EXPERT ADVICE FOR FREE!?

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EXPERT ADVICE FOR FREE!?! YOU HEARD ME RIGHT!

Did you know that in most cases buyers don’t pay their real estate agents?? Buyers agents are paid by the listing company who is paid by the seller.

What does this mean for buyers?

It means you get my expertise, skill and knowledge at no cost to you.

In this short video I’ll share all the advantages of working with a real estate agent.

It is a different story now

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A few years ago the founder and leader of Keller Williams Realty, Gary Keller, gave a speech to agents from all over the country.

And he said this profound thing (I’m paraphrasing) - During pandemic and into 2021, we were in a service first, skills second market - a heart up and head down market. Now we are in a skills first, service second market - a head up heart down market.

So what does this mean?

  1. It means that the skill of your agent is paramount.

  2. It means their experience is the difference between you selling quickly for top dollar or languishing away on the market with little to no showings or offers.

  3. It means their marketing tools are helping you stand out in a landscape that is becoming more and more crowded.

  4. It means their relationship with other agents can make or break a deal.

Let’s be honest - it didn’t take much skill to help buyers and sellers with their home purchase post pandemic. Now is a different story and the agent you pick to represent you could make all the difference.

From Cracks, to beauty

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My grandmother loved to make cracked marbles.

She would heat them carefully in a pot on the stove at just the right temperature. Too hot and they would be destroyed, not enough heat and they would be unchanged.

She took something ordinary and common and turned them into tiny gems. They turned from regular marbles to sparkling, complex and beautiful treasures.

Elizabeth found the stash of marbles that my grandmother gave me and is now following in her footsteps by making jewelry out of them.

It’s interesting to me that life is a little like those cracked marbles.

That the beauty and uniqueness is revealed in change.

And that sometimes, it’s in our cracks and brokenness that we discover the most about ourselves.

Almost to Instead

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“There is pain and heartbreak in every almost”. I read this in a book the other day and boy did it make me think.

And so I reflected on the “almosts” in my own life, and truth be told, most of them turned out for the better.

For instance, I “almost” moved to New Zealand in 2001. If I had, I know for sure I would not be here, writing this message to you today.

Maybe its all about perspective. In place of lamenting the “almost” you find the beauty in the path you DID take.

Turn the pain and heartbreak of the “almost” to the joy and beauty of the “instead”.

I would love to hear about some of your “almost” and “instead” moments.

With gratitude.

Improvements with BIG returns

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3 small home improvements that yield BIG returns for sellers.

  1. Paint the interior of your home a popular but neutral color. Repose Grey by Sherwin Williams or Oyster Pearl by Valspar are great options. Now I can hear you arguing with me - “its just paint, the buyer can choose their own colors and paint it themselves”. Here’s the issue, when the buyer sees the navy blue walls in your kids room they add it to their “to-do list” which means less money for you.

  2. Some elements of home staging. A new rug, beautifully framed artwork (this doesn’t have to break the bank), a few strategically placed artificial (or real plants). A couple hundred will make a huge difference if the right pieces are purchased. The thrift store and a can of spray paint can go a long way too. For inspiration check out Pinterest.

  3. Deep clean and declutter. This is probably the most important aspect. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Have a trusted friend over to help you “see” your everyday clutter.

What gets your fire going?

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Do you have a wood stove? We do and we primarily heat our home with it in the winter.

One of my least favorite things about the wood stove is when its almost out and I have to coax it back to life or even clean it and start a new fire.

However, I have learned a little trick. When the fire is nearly out I can get it going again with some new logs and just a little paper.

With one balled up piece of newspaper, something to catch the flame I am able to remind the fire who she is.

It doesn’t take much, just one little spark of fire to get it going again.

That one piece of paper is immediately consumed and the fire remembers - my job is to burn. Lately I have found there are certain activities I can do too that remind me who I am.

Whether it be exercise, meditation, reading or connecting with a loved one, I can trigger a part of my brain that gets me back into gear.

How about you? I would love to hear what gets your fire going again.

With gratitude.

You're not going to end up homeless

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“But if I sell my home now I will be homeless!”

I’m hearing this sentiment a lot these days. Everyone knows the market is unpredictable and many sellers are putting off selling because they worry about finding a replacement property.

But what if I told you I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve to ease the transition and stress involved with selling and buying in this uncertain market?

  1. Seller Contingency - Once your home goes under contract you have a specific time period to find another home. If you can’t find another house to buy you can get out of your contract.

  2. Rent Back - After closing you can rent the home back from the buyers. This is typically calculated to cover their new monthly mortgage payment and can last up to 60 days.

  3. Extra Long Closing - Contracts are taking longer than normal anyway because we are experiencing an appraisal backlog but it’s not uncommon for parties to agree to a 90 day extended closing.

All three of these strategies give some much need and valuable time to find your next home so you don’t end up homeless.

Have questions Leave them in the comments.

Honesty is encouraging

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You’ve all seen it—those painfully bad American Idol auditions.

They're cringe-worthy at best. I find myself squirming in my seat. It’s perplexing, oddly fascinating… and honestly, a little heartbreaking.

The worst part?

When the contestant walks off stage, crushed, only to be met by their family saying, “Oh sweetie, those judges don’t know anything. You’re the best singer in the world!”

This is the part that drives me insane.

Why lie to these poor people?

They’re terrible singers. They never should’ve auditioned.

I get it—telling someone the cold, hard truth can be really hard.

You don’t want to hurt feelings, crush dreams, or seem insensitive.

But sometimes? The truth is the kindest, most important thing they need to hear.

A few years ago, I met a lovely family who needed to sell their home and move out of state.

The winters were getting hard. Health issues were piling up. Selling wasn’t optional—it was essential.

I met them at their home and knew right away: this was going to be a tough one.

There was clutter everywhere—inside and out. The house was dirty, dark, and falling apart.

After a quick tour, we sat down.

They told me they needed to be out by September—just three months away.

Money was tight. Resources were limited.

And then they looked at me, hopeful, and asked: “What’s next?”

This was my moment for the cold, hard truth.

Early in my career, I probably would’ve tried to sugarcoat it: “It’s not that bad… buyers can look past your stuff.”

But now I know better.

People don’t hire me to protect their feelings.

They hire me to give them my honest, professional advice—because they’re counting on it.

So I told them the truth:

That no one would buy their home in its current condition. That, given their tight timeline, we needed to price it below market value to attract immediate interest.

Then I helped.

I connected them with contractors, offered suggestions for clearing out the clutter, and gave them a clear, realistic action plan.

And I delivered all of this with sincerity—because I do care how my words land.

At the end of our meeting, they thanked me for my encouraging words.

Encouraging?!

That surprised me at first… until I realized:

Honesty is encouraging—when it comes with a clear plan and a compassionate heart.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

But if you really care about someone, you owe them the truth—and nothing less.

With gratitude.

Insurance Policies

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Don’t get caught!

Did you know that some home owners insurance policies only cover damages to your home within 30 days of you moving out?

I found this out the hard way.

We had moved out of our house and I was checking on it every other day, BUT on the one day I wasn’t there the dishwasher decided to go kaput!

What ensued was the basement filling up with water and doing tons of damage.

I called my insurance company to make a claim and received the bad news; all repairs would be out of pocket!

Sucker punch to the gut!

So what can you do?.

If you move out of your primary residence make sure you check with your insurance company to find out what will be covered.

In most cases you can get “vacant home” insurance which is more money than a standard policy but much, much cheaper than dealing with a flooded basement.

Please, please, please learn from my mistake and don’t make the same one yourself.

BTW - second homes have different insurance policies that typically fall under different guidelines.

Please reach out if you have questions.

Agent on sign

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“I just called the agent on the sign.”

I hear this all the time.

Buyers that end up with the agent on the sign because they didn’t know they had a choice.

Here’s the deal.

You should interview and hire an agent to help you buy your home just as a seller interviews and hires an agent to help them sell their home.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the “agent on the sign”. I just believe you owe it to yourself to make a CHOICE about the matter versus someone you ended up with by CHANCE.

With gratitude.

My Gazillion-dollar House

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But Zillow says my house is worth a gazillion dollars!

Okay, I’m exaggerating, kind of.

Zillow uses sales data to come up with your “Zestimate” but what they can’t factor in are things like the view, traffic noise, intimate community knowledge, changes in the local work force like a company leaving town or coming to town.

In other words the “Zestimate” is a 50,000 foot view of your homes value.

Having your local agent help you price your home is like looking under a microscope at the value of your home.

Don’t leave these things to chance. Now is not the time to be inaccurate about pricing. Correct pricing is going to dictate whether your home sits on the market or gets multiple-over asking offers.

Home Inspections

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What?

LENDER REQUIRED REPAIRS

These 3 words are NOT what you want to hear when you are buying or selling a home.

So what does this mean you might ask?

Lender required repairs are repairs that must be completed in order for the buyer to get approval for their loan.

It doesn’t matter if the buyer (or seller) care about or want these repairs, they are imposed by the lender.

Common lender required repairs are; peeling paint, broken windows, missing hand rails or anything that falls under health and safety.

As a homeowner what can you do to avoid this situation?

Ask your agent for a do-it-yourself checklist for home inspection preparation. While this is for preparing for a home inspection, it will cover most anything that a lender would be concerned about as well.

You Rock!

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Here’s just a few reasons being a homeowner rocks!

  1. Monthly mortgage payments stays steady even as rents rise and inflation increases.

  2. Decorate and update without having to ask your landlord.

  3. Possible tax benefits

  4. Building equity instead of giving it away to someone else

  5. Being able to borrow against the equity in your home for other things such as debt reduction and home improvement projects.

Must Read

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You’re going to need your super readers for this one!

When I meet with sellers they often tell me about some of the repairs they never got around to… can you relate?

They suggest offering a credit to the buyer at closing to address these items. While that might work for things like flooring, its a weak place to work from regarding negotiations.

Think about it - you’ve already told the buyer to offer you less. And in my experience if a repair costs you $1000, the buyer will want $1500 to deal with the hassle.

Each situation is specific, and when we meet together I will give you the best advice possible to get your home ready to go on the market.

Finding Something To Be Grateful For

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If you could just get your hands on it.

The thing that eludes you.

The thing, that if you had it, everything would be better.

The thing you are missing in life.

So you grasp and cling just like this giant claw crane game.

You set it all up perfectly, push the button and pray. And as predicted the claw half-heartedly grabs at the object of your desire and lets go at the last minute.

You knew the odds, but you played anyway.

Have you ever won at this game?

I have, twice in a row believe it or not!

And I can tell you the toys are not nearly as cuddly as they look. Once in your arms they lack the quality you had hoped.

They were just shiny objects behind the glass.

So back to the beginning of this post.

That thing you want so badly, is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Or is it like the stuffed flamingo at the arcade- hollow, fake and won by chance.

Focus on the things on this side of the glass. I think you might find there is just so much to be grateful for.

With gratitude.